Mobile operator MTN has postponed its 21 Days of Y'ello Care half-marathon, planned for Saturday, 13 June, in Johannesburg, due to security risks posed by what it calls the "fading" strike action.
A new race date will be communicated in due course, the company adds.
MTN has been plagued by a three-week-long strike, after Communication Workers Union (CWU) members downed tools over a dispute about pay hikes and bonus payouts.
In a statement issued this afternoon, MTN says whereas it is "delighted that the vast majority of the striking employees have returned to work, the company will leave nothing to chance owing to the violent nature of the industrial action over the past three weeks".
"MTN has the best interests of its stakeholders and the participants at heart and will not put their lives at risk. The current atmosphere is not conducive for the comraderies and festive spirit that this race is renowned for.
"We regret any inconvenience caused by the postponement of the race," says Themba Nyathi, chief human resources officer at MTN SA.
Nyathi reiterated MTN's commitment to resolve the labour dispute, and has called for the appointment of an independent arbitrator to adjudicate the matter in a fair and impartial manner.
While the mobile operator claims the strike has been winding down, the CWU has accused MTN of downplaying the impact of the industrial action strike on its operations and says the strike is continuing at full force.
The union also announced this week it plans to launch a sympathy strike against MTN, hoping to reinforce its ongoing industrial action with an additional 10 000 union members from other sectors.
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